Solwise HomePlug adapters now reach Gigabit data rates

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With HD video files, high resolution audio and more and more devices in the house hooking up to your network pipe, bandwidth is becoming an issue. How are you meant to stream an archived Blu-ray from one room to another, browse on the 'net on your laptop, and force your network-enabled digital radio to blast out the hits of S-Club 7? Certainly not through 802.11g Wi-Fi, that's for sure.

To be honest, even 802.11n wireless technology will feel the strain in that scenario. And you don't want to have to rip out the plasterboard throughout the house in order to cable up. Instead, why not use the cabling you've already got? The power cabling, that is.

Powerline network adaptors have been around quite a while, and Solwise has somewhat carved a niche in the UK market with its HomePlug series. However, even at 200Mbps, they can be restrictive nowadays.

That's why the company has unleashed its Gigabit version. Based on Gigle Networks’ GGL541 chipset, the Solwise PL-1000M Mediaxtream/HomePlug AV Ethernet adapter can carry huge quantities of data over conventional copper wiring, as long as you have one at either end of the loop.

Additionally, it supports meshing technology, allowing intermediate devices to act as stepping stones where distance or signal degradation might otherwise make a powerline data path impossible. So if you've got a huge house, you can boost the signal by placing additional adapters along the pipe.

The PL-1000M adapters cost £44.66 each, and are backwards compatible with former HomePlug AV products, although you'll need at least two of them to get the best speeds.